Ironcraft: Bodybuilding

MyFitnessPal alternative for lifters (2026): MacroFactor or Ironcraft?

If database size matters most, MyFitnessPal lists 20.5M+ foods, and if you want adaptive calorie coaching, MacroFactor is built around it; neither listing describes a set-by-set lifting log. Ironcraft is the alternative if you want a food log and a full workout log in one app with no account, accepting a much smaller food database and no adaptive coaching.

Published 2026-11-01

Compare the approaches

MyFitnessPal alternative for lifters (2026): MacroFactor or Ironcraft?
Approach	Useful for	Limit or tradeoff
MyFitnessPal	Per its App Store listing on 1 November 2026: 20.5M+ foods, calorie, macro and water tracking, AI Coach, workout and step logging, 40+ connected trackers and apps, and a free plan. Rated 4.71 from 2,387,079 ratings.	Barcode scan, meal scan, voice logging, custom macro goals and ad-free logging are Premium ($19.99/month or $79.99/year). In our sample, 66% of 1,165 negative reviews since 2024 say a recent update or redesign made it worse.
MacroFactor	Per its App Store listing on 1 November 2026: adaptive calorie and macro coaching from an expenditure estimate with weekly check-ins, a verified food database, barcode scanner, micronutrients and no ads. Rated 4.84 from 23,708 ratings.	No free tier, only a 7-day trial; $11.99/month, $47.99 per 6 months or $71.99/year.
Ironcraft	A food log (7,500+ common foods, barcode lookups through Open Food Facts, quick-add macros, saved meals, water, your own targets) and a full workout log with an event countdown, free, with no account, ads or tracking.	Far fewer built-in foods than MyFitnessPal, no adaptive coaching or micronutrient goals, and no AI. Meal planner, recipes and grocery list need Pro ($3.99/month, $23.99/year or $79.99 lifetime).
A food app plus a workout app	Pair a nutrition app with a dedicated lifting log such as Hevy or Strong to get the strongest version of each.	Two apps, two sets of settings and possibly two subscriptions; your food and training data live in different places.

Feature matrix

MyFitnessPal, MacroFactor and Ironcraft: US App Store listings and websites checked 1 November 2026
Feature	MyFitnessPal	MacroFactor	Ironcraft
Free plan	Yes: nutrition, weight and exercise tracking	No: 7-day trial, then subscription	Yes: food log with barcode lookups, workouts, Apple Watch, 1 event, 90-day charts
Paid plan (US)	Premium $19.99/month or $79.99/year	$11.99/month, $47.99 per 6 months or $71.99/year	Pro $3.99/month, $23.99/year or $79.99 lifetime
App Store rating	4.71 from 2,387,079 ratings	4.84 from 23,708 ratings	No ratings yet (released 26 October 2026)
Food database	20.5M+ foods	Verified food database; custom foods and recipes; micronutrients	7,500+ common foods plus Open Food Facts lookups; your own foods
Barcode scan	Premium	Included in the subscription	Free (Open Food Facts lookups)
Calorie and macro targets	Custom macro goals with Premium; AI Coach	Adaptive coaching from an expenditure estimate; weekly check-ins	Your own targets, or an estimate you edit; no adaptive coaching
Meal planning	Meal planner; Premium Plus meal plans with grocery delivery	Not listed	Pro: weekly plan from 100+ recipes, swaps and a grocery list by aisle
Workout logging	Workout and step logging; 40+ connected trackers and apps	Not listed	Set-by-set: warm-up, drop and failure sets, RPE, supersets, records, Apple Watch
Ads and account	Ad-free logging is a Premium feature; account: not checked	No ads; account: not checked	No ads and no account

"Not listed" means we did not find the feature in that app’s App Store listing on 1 November 2026; it does not prove the app lacks it. "Not checked" means we did not verify it. US prices; they can change.

Why lifters look for a MyFitnessPal alternative

In our sample of 1,165 negative MyFitnessPal reviews since 2024, 66% say a recent update or redesign made it worse, 43% say it is harder to use with more taps, 20% mention features moved to Premium, 20% bugs, 9% ads and upsells, and 8% food entry accuracy. Positive reviews (300 tagged) praise easy logging used for years (26%) and motivation (16%).

What MyFitnessPal and MacroFactor do better

MyFitnessPal’s 20.5M+ foods, connected trackers and AI Coach, and MacroFactor’s adaptive calorie coaching, verified database and micronutrient tracking go well beyond Ironcraft’s food log. MacroFactor reviewers in our sample praise fast logging (63% of 107 positive reviews) and adaptive coaching (22%); its small negative sample of 33 mentions a complex interface (24%), price and no free tier (18%) and food data accuracy (18%).

What Ironcraft combines

Ironcraft keeps food and training in one app: log a meal by search, barcode or quick-add macros, then log your sets, and watch your body-weight trend and records in the same place, with a countdown to a show, meet or photo shoot. Barcode lookups are free; they send the barcode or search words and your IP address to Open Food Facts, an independent open food database, and you can edit any entry. There is no account.

How we checked

Mister Business Enterprises LLC makes Ironcraft, so this is a publisher-written comparison, not an independent test. Every competitor fact is per its US App Store listing on 1 November 2026, or the competitor’s own website where named. Review themes come from App Store reviews written since 2024 in the US, UK, Canada and Australia that we tagged by topic; the percentages are shares of that sample, not of all users. Ironcraft facts are from its App Store listing and version 1.0.0 (build 36). Prices are US prices and can change.

Which one to choose

Choose MyFitnessPal if you want the largest food database and many connected trackers, and a free plan without barcode scanning is fine or you will pay for Premium.
Choose MacroFactor if you want calorie targets that adjust to your measured progress and you are fine with a subscription and no free tier.
Choose Ironcraft if you want food and lifting logs in one app with free barcode lookups and no account, and you set your own targets.
Use two apps if you want the deepest nutrition features and the deepest lifting log, and do not mind keeping them apart.

Availability and languages

Ironcraft is for adults 18 and older on iPhone with iOS 18 or later; its optional Apple Watch app requires watchOS 11 or later. Available in 143 countries and regions, excluding China mainland, Russia, the EU, Iceland, Norway and the United Kingdom. The app interface is English; translated guides do not change app language or regional availability. Check your local App Store.

Product details or contact Download on the App Store

Questions and answers

Is barcode scanning free in MyFitnessPal?

No. Per its App Store listing and myfitnesspal.com on 1 November 2026, barcode scanning is a Premium feature. In Ironcraft, barcode lookups through Open Food Facts are on the free plan.

Does MacroFactor have a free version?

No. Per its App Store listing on 1 November 2026, MacroFactor has a free trial but no free subscription tier, and its website says there will never be a free version.

Does Ironcraft adjust my calories automatically?

No. Ironcraft can suggest starting calorie and macro targets from details you enter, which you can edit, but it does not adjust them from your progress the way MacroFactor’s adaptive coaching does.

Is Ironcraft available in my country and language?

Ironcraft is on the App Store in 143 countries and regions, but not in China mainland, Russia, the EU, Iceland, Norway or the United Kingdom. The app interface is English; a translated guide does not translate the app.